Healthy Summertime Recipes: Cold Asparagus Stalks

To me some things just taste better the the summertime. I assume that perhaps the ingredients are fresher but who knows. If you follow this blog you will know that I think everything is better in the summer.

Also summertime is a great time to serve some cold dishes which might be best served hot in the winter. Typically hot dishes served cold can be a very refreshing treat to serve at backyard BBQs. The most common hot dish served cold is soup. I have a number of recipes for delicious summertime soups which I will save for another post. Today's post will be devoted to my favorite cooked vegetable served cold dish.

My friend turned my home to this recipe a number of years ago and I have been making it regularly ever since. The taste is a yummy exotic mix of distinct flavors. The texture is crunchy and snack like. This is definitely an excellent backyard finger food to be served while enjoying a dry white wine.

The first step is to lightly steam the asparagus. Make sure not to over cook the asparagus. You will want the asparagus to remain turgid and crunchy. Try to cook the asparagus at least 6 hours before serving. Once the asparagus has been properly steamed, remove from the pot and lay flat for cooling. The easiest thing is to lay the stalks flat in a large flat Tupperware container. Let the asparagus cool for at least one hour.

Once the asparagus has cooled you can apply the yummy dressing. In a separate dish add 1/3 of a cup of sesame oil and 1/4 of a cup organic soy sauce and as much crushed garlic as you can handle. This will make enough dressing for at least one large bunch of asparagus. Pour the dressing over the cooled asparagus and let sit for at least one hour but preferably 2-3 hours.

After the cooled asparagus has marinated for the appropriate amount of time, transfer the stalks to a serving platter. Make a lot because this will be a very popular dish. In the rare case of having left overs you will be pleased to know that the asparagus tastes even better on the second day but might be a tad mushier.

Enjoy this heart healthy summertime recipe vegetable as part of a meal or as a tasty appetizer or finger food.